Tuesday, December 11, 2007

What you really have to do is some of what Lum (Scott Jennings) said, and somehow convince the other ninety percent of your playerbase to agree to be the victim at any time during the course of gameplay. Then you would have the perfect PvP system.

See, it wasn't the fact that they could fight each other or how as much as they weren't allowed to terrorize the unwashed masses anymore. That made them angry. Hence fourth Trammel was born, and the Trammies, Bluebies, and basically any other derogitory statement just short of the word pussies was born. They also like it if there is a way to take some advantage over the opponents. Don't forget to put that in too.

PvP systems in a game based over the Net may never be perfect... I don't think you can get more then 2 of the hardcore PvPers to agree to anything short of "I ROX, YOU SUX".

I remember seeing a post somewhere asking why I didn't stay around and make EA see the light about the PvP system in UO. I have a couple of answers to that, but I really wanted to say that there was never hope for a life of Red vs Blue once EverQuest hit the scene. It revealed to the world that people would much rather keep their stuff and stay to themselves as much as they wanted.

It is a lot like real life in MMO's or whatever they are calling them today. If you have something that you worked hard for, it is very difficult to let it go. The majority do not understand how to have all the spoils in life and lose stuff too. The cost mentally is much too great for most. Even if it is a game, it still hurts you inside your head.

People would much rather unearth some crazy statue at server re-boot time, then go out and fight with that sword they spent 17 hours getting from some wild ass dragon. Some folks just want to make pretty stuff in the house or the yard. Some just want to sell things, some just want to be a social icon or be a part of something bigger then their real lives.

I learned a lot playing UO. I learned more from being a part of that community then I have in most of my real life experiences. There is much to be learned from a community like MMO's especially once they became more world-wide and then had all of the other cultures and expectations to deal with from all over the planet.

At this point, in my life it really wouldn't matter if they created something similar to what UO was back in its infancy. Fact is, I opened Pandora's Box and now that I know the truth behind it all, there is no way I could trick my mind into being all amazed and confused like I once was in UO. For me, my time to move on had come and that's what I did. UO and other MMO's in many ways helped me to take those steps towards doing what I like to do now.

BV was a beacon for a community that was lost in the shuffle of saving a game from extinction (lost revenue/market share etc). The Battle Vortex site still stands today as a reminder of what was. Those communities still exists, and even though most of them are not on this server any longer, those people from all the different aspects of what we had at BV are out there somewhere. They are either serving another cause or still remembering the causes of what was. Either way, they are out there because I had this crazy idea of making the world we live and play in a better place for what we believed was right. We won some battles, and we lost a lot, but it was better then just sitting around bitching about it. Well, I think the Siege Perilous folks might disagree with that, but they do like to bitch. hehe

Some day a new game will emerge that will once again bring fourth sites like BV, Lum the Mad, The Chosen, and my old favorite UO Evil. All of them will fight to bring justice to their own point of view. Until then, enjoy life and do something fun. Don't get stuck waiting for something. Make it happen yourself or join a new cause. Do something for yourself.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

I have been gone from the Internet for way too long. I am content being out here in the sticks. I never thought I would like it, but even with all of the ups and downs through it all, the country is not so terrible that I can't deal with it.

I am still working at a couple of places, but I have brought the list down significantly. I started bartending and even cocktail on a few of the nights I am not DJing or doing trivia. The trivia has picked up a little, and I hope it will continue to grow over time. My shows have been making mad bank for both bars. I hope the owners will enjoy a nice holiday season. I know I will...

Got my own crib these days. I moved out of the parents house finally. It took some time, but when you live in a town where the best available job is a cashier at a gas station, you can imagine how it could take awhile to pull things together.

I got a car too... Not exactly as cool as the Jeep Liberty or the Chevy Extreme, but it runs and it is legal. I guess that is better then walking.

I am running an AT&T air card at the moment, so my Internet speed isn't exactly top notch out here. I can only get a G2 connection, but it is way better then dial up.

Not too much else to report. I have been doing well, and my family is still holding together. Mom says hey!